Creating a mutually beneficial system for AI models and music licensing has been a bumpy ride. But a recent partnership between music licensing marketplace SourceAudio and voice AI leader ElevenLabs suggests there’s a promising way forward.
We spoke with Drew Silverstein, President of AI Strategy at SourceAudio, about his role in tackling these challenges and what it means for rights holders. As the founder of Amper Music—one of the first AI-driven music companies—and with experience as a composer, investor, and entrepreneur, Silverstein has been able to look past the adversarial dynamics of AI and music to forge a new path: one built on trust, mutual consent, and a framework that puts artists first.
- The creator-first framework: SourceAudio’s ecosystem is designed to give rights holders complete control over participation. "Rights holders in our ecosystem are always opted out by default," Silverstein explained. "We present opportunities deal by deal, supplying all the material terms they need to make an informed decision before opting in." This structure ensures artists enter agreements knowingly, with transparency at every step.
- The ethical handshake: Silverstein describes his philosophy as an "ethical handshake," built on informed consent. "On the surface it feels straightforward, but in reality it’s full of moving parts and complexities," he said. "Still, when everyone chooses to shake hands freely—with full understanding and shared knowledge—that’s about as ethical as it gets."
The historical roadblock to ethically training AI on music wasn’t a lack of willing partners, but the absence of a marketplace where deals could happen at scale. No single catalog is large enough to meet the monumental needs of AI models. SourceAudio’s solution is aggregation: combining multiple catalogs into rights-cleared datasets of nearly unlimited size.
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The power of aggregation: "If a licensee needs three million titles with specific criteria, and a rights holder only has ten thousand, they could never fill the order on their own," Silverstein explained. "By aggregating catalogs together, we create opportunities that don’t exist otherwise." This model not only addresses scale but opens a new revenue stream for rights holders. "As long as we do it consistently and according to our guiding principles, aggregation is a powerful way to generate income for creators," Silverstein added.
On the surface it feels straightforward, but in reality it’s full of moving parts and complexities. Still, when everyone chooses to shake hands freely—with full understanding and shared knowledge—that’s about as ethical as it gets.Drew Silverstein - President of AI Strategy | SourceAudioSkepticism of AI in creative industries remains strong. Silverstein’s counterintuitive approach is not to persuade, but to educate through transparency. "Our job is not to convince them," he said. "What I care about most is sharing the ground truth—the fundamental facts and realities—so we can all work from the same understanding. From there, the conversation can begin." For him, opacity is the enemy. "If we don’t understand something, our natural default is to avoid it or fear it. But when rights holders see all the key elements, they want in."
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A legitimate marketplace: SourceAudio’s opt-in, transparent model stands in sharp contrast to data scraping or "fair use" loopholes. It proves that ethical practices and profitable opportunities can coexist. Silverstein frames this moment not as a crisis but as another
for the industry to ride. "Leaning into new opportunities lets you catch the wave and benefit from the change," he argued. "Anyone can let a wave go. But the folks who lean in tend to thrive."
At the end of the day, Silverstein uses a straightforward gut check. "As a composer myself, I ask what I’d feel proud to share with my friends and colleagues," he said. "Our business passes that test, and we’re meaningfully contributing to the future of music."